Role of the Professional Nurse, Ethics, Law, and Health Concepts

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards generated from NSCC Nurse Education Program lecture sources covering nursing definitions, ethical principles, legal aspects, educational concepts, and health delivery principles.

American Nurses Association (1980 Definition of Nursing)

Defined nursing as "the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems."

American Nurses Association (2015 Definition of Nursing)

Defined nursing as "the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, facilitation of healing, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations."

International Council of Nurses Definition of Nursing

Encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups, and communities, in all settings, including health promotion, illness prevention, and care of ill, disabled, and dying people.

Person (NSCC Nursing Philosophy)

A holistic being with unique biophysical, emotional, intellectual, social, cultural, and spiritual dimensions who interacts with a changing environment throughout the lifespan.

Environment (NSCC Nursing Philosophy)

Includes all internal and external factors that impact upon and contribute to the uniqueness of the person.

Health (NSCC Nursing Philosophy)

A dynamic and fluctuating state of wellness encompassing physical, psychological, and spiritual health.

Health Promotion

A scope of nursing practice focused on improving overall health and well-being through education, healthy lifestyle choices, and disease prevention.

Consolation of the Dying

A scope of nursing practice focused on providing compassionate care centered on comfort, symptom relief, support, and dignity during end-of-life care.

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

A process used to review, analyze, and translate scientific evidence, integrating the best current evidence, clinical expertise, and client values to guide clinical decision-making.

Quality Improvement (QI)

A process focused on desired health outcomes by identifying errors, designing frameworks involving structure, process, and outcomes, and continuously evaluating care outcomes.

Patricia Benner's Model of Development of Clinical Wisdom and Competence

A model describing five stages of clinical skill acquisition and judgment: Novice, Advanced Beginner, Competent, Proficient, and Expert.

Full-Spectrum Nursing

A practice model integrating nursing knowledge and critical thinking (thinking), nursing process and interventions (doing), and patient-centered compassion and respect (caring) to yield sound clinical judgment.

Ethics

The study of a system of moral principles and standards that helps individuals decide right from wrong and determines what actions to take.

Bioethics

The application of ethical principles within the context of healthcare.

Ethical Dilemma

A situation requiring a choice between two equally undesirable actions with no clear right or wrong answer, often arising from conflicting values.

Moral Distress

The psychological anguish experienced when a healthcare professional feels unable to act according to closely held core ethical values.

Autonomy

An ethical principle recognizing a person's right to self-determination, make their own decisions, and set personal goals.

Nonmaleficence

An ethical obligation to do no harm and to prevent harm to patients.

Beneficence

An ethical duty to promote good, prevent harm, remove harm, and take positive actions to help others.

Fidelity

The ethical duty to keep promises and remain faithful to commitments made to patients.

Veracity

The ethical duty to tell the truth to patients and healthcare colleagues.

Justice

The ethical obligation to be fair, treat all patients equally, and ensure fair access to healthcare resources.

MORAL Model

A decision-making framework for resolving ethical dilemmas consisting of five steps: Massage the dilemma, Outline options, Resolve the dilemma, Act, and Reflect.

Humanistic Learning Theory

A learning theory holding that learning is most effective when the student is an active participant and when learning experiences are selected based on learner needs, abilities, and curriculum requirements.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

A theory that ranks human needs on levels according to their criticality to survival, ranging from basic physiological needs to self-actualization.

NSCC Nurse Education Core Concepts

Ten concepts integrated throughout the curriculum based on Massachusetts Nurse of the Future competencies: Patient Centered Care, Professionalism, Leadership, Systems Based Practice, Information and Technology, Communication, Teamwork and Collaboration, Safety, Quality Improvement, and Evidence Based Practice.

Dr. Mildred Montag

Project director of the 1952 Cooperative Research Project who established the research-based plan for Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) to prepare nurses for bedside practice in structured healthcare settings.

Statutory Law

Law passed by Congress or a state legislative body, such as state Nurse Practice Acts.

Administrative Law

Laws that govern the activities and regulations of administrative agencies, such as the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing (MABORN).

Nurse Practice Acts (NPAs)

State statutory laws that protect the public, regulate the scope of nursing practice, and approve nursing education programs.

Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC)

An agreement between participating states allowing nurses to practice in-person or electronically across state lines under one multistate RN license.

Good Samaritan Laws

State laws providing legal protection from civil liability to individuals, including nurses, who voluntarily provide reasonable emergency care within their training level during an urgent situation.

Safe Harbor Laws

Laws that protect healthcare providers who refuse to perform an action they reasonably believe could harm a patient from employer discipline, termination, or retaliation.

Assault

The threat or attempt to touch a patient without permission, causing fear of unwanted contact, without physical contact actually having to occur.

Battery

The actual unwanted, nonconsensual physical contact or touching of another person.

Fraud

The intentional deception or misrepresentation of information for personal gain or to cause harm to another person, such as falsifying patient documentation.

Slander

Spoken or verbal defamation that harms a person's professional or personal reputation.

Libel

Written defamation, such as false social media posts or inaccurate documentation, that harms a person's reputation.

Negligence

Careless action or omission causing harm, defined by four key elements: duty, breach, causation, and damage.

Malpractice

Professional negligence occurring when a healthcare provider fails to meet accepted standards of care due to professional knowledge or skill, resulting in injury to a patient.

Vicarious Liability

A legal doctrine holding an employer legally responsible for the negligent actions of its employees when those actions occur within the scope of their job duties.

FACTUAL Charting

An acronym representing key documentation standards: Factual, Accurate, Complete, Timely, Unusual findings included, Assessment data/plan included, and Legal record standards.

Health (WHO Definition)

A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, as defined by the World Health Organization in 1948.

Social Determinants of Health

Five key domains identified in Healthy People 2030 affecting health outcomes: Economic Stability, Education Access and Quality, Health Care Access and Quality, Neighborhood and Built Environment, and Social and Community Context.

Acute Illness

An illness that occurs suddenly and lasts for a limited amount of time, typically with an expected end and relief.

Chronic Illness

An illness that lasts for an extended period, typically more than six months, and is often lifelong.